Ghana Rationing Electricity So Fans Can Watch World Cup

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(CBS) The World Cup draws the attention of fans across the globe like no other event, and diehards will do anything to view it.

In the United States, that means taking off early from work. In Ghana, that means rationing electricity.

After low water levels have led to power shortages, Ghana’s utility regulator is rationing its electric usage by mandating sporadic shutdowns before tonight’s match against the Americans, Quartz reported.

Here are more details:

To ensure that World Cup viewing won’t be interrupted, Ghana is purchasing 50 megawatts of electricity from its neighbor, Ivory Coast. Power plants will also be running at maximum capacity, and Volta Aluminum, the nation’s largest smelter and a large drain on electricity, will slow production during the match.

“These plans are put in place for consumers to watch uninterruptible football matches during the World Cup,” the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission said.

Ghana derives most of its electricity from the Volta River, but that source has not generated enough to keep up with economic growth. Outages are common. Solar and wind power investments, though supported by the government, have yet to make a significant contribution to the nation’s energy supply. And attempts to exploit recent discoveries of natural gas reserves are beset by delays in constructing refineries.